[ysamnuan]

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Princess Galyani Vadhana, the elder sister of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died Wednesday, the royal palace announced. She was 84 years old.

Galyani's passing came after the 80-year-old king himself recovered from the symptoms of a stroke after being hospitalized for three weeks in October. Both were treated at Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital.
Galyani had been hospitalized since June, after doctors found she had abdominal cancer.
The princess was noted for her interest in the arts, especially theater and classical music, a taste cultivated when she, like the king, was educated in Switzerland, where she spent much time until later life.
She spoke five languages, and loved to travel, documenting many of her journeys in books. She was the oldest child of Prince Mahidol — a son of King Chulalongkorn — and his commoner wife, Sangwal.
Galyani married Col. Aram Ratanakul Serireungriddhi, a royal aide but a commoner, in 1944, which meant she had to give up the royal title she was awarded in 1935. The couple had a daughter but were divorced in 1949. The royal title was restored by Bhumibol in 1950, after the divorce.
She married again in 1969 to Prince Varananda Dhavaj, a professional pilot, who died in 1990.
A lifelong Francophile, she founded the Association of Teachers of French in Thailand, which she headed in 1977-81.
She also took up an intensive schedule of charity work, which is a mainstay of royal responsibility. She was a patron of at least five health-related foundations.
Galyani is survived by her daughter from her first marriage and a grandson.